(JNS) — Three draft laws related to the government’s judicial reform program passed their first reading in the Knesset plenum on Wednesday.

The first, coined “Deri Law 2.0,” passed by a vote of 62-53. It would prevent the Supreme Court from interfering in ministerial appointments.

Its purpose is to allow Aryeh Deri, chairman of the Shas Party, to return to the government as a cabinet member after the Supreme Court said on Jan. 18 that he could not serve as a minister, as his appointment was “unreasonable in the extreme.” The court cited Deri’s January 2022 plea bargain on ta...